Argentina 2-1 Mauritania Player Ratings: Nico Paz 8.5/10 Curls Home Stunning Free-Kick as Argentina Ease Past Mauritania

Argentina returned to La Bombonera in front of a thunderous home crowd, and despite the absence of Lionel Messi from the starting lineup, they wasted little time in making their class felt. Fernandez broke the deadlock in the 17th minute with a calm, cushioned finish after slick interplay between Molina and Almada down the right, a goal that underlined just how deep the world champions' quality runs even without their talisman.

Nico Paz then put the game to bed in the 32nd minute, stepping up for a free-kick in classic Messi territory and curling a precise effort into the bottom-right corner with remarkable composure for a player of his age. The Greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi, arrived from the bench at half-time to a predictably rapturous reception, while Mauritania, to their credit, gave a spirited second-half account of themselves, with Koita particularly impressive before Lefort added a late consolation. Here are Sportsdunia's Argentina vs Mauritania player ratings.

Key Takeaways

• Paz was the standout performer, and his 8.5/10 rating was thoroughly deserved.
• Mauritania were far from a pushover, and their second-half display deserves genuine credit.
• With Messi, Alvarez, and Mac Allister all starting from the bench, Scaloni's side still controlled the contest from first whistle to last.

Argentina Player Ratings vs Mauritania

Here are the Argentina player ratings for the Argentina vs Mauritania fixture.

Mauritania Player Ratings vs Argentina

Check out the Mauritania player ratings vs Argentina.

Man of the Match

Nico Paz was the man of the match.

Worst Performer

Mamadou Diop was the worst performer.